Who’s YOUR City? Blog

I grew up in Nashville, TN, home to the Parthenon and all types of music, but most importantly for me, incredible green space and mountains nearby. In spite of blistering heat and humidity in the summer, I never wanted to be indoors.

But I have always been drawn to big cities and realized early on that Nashville was too small for me. Since leaving home for college (U of Michigan - Ann Arbor), I have lived in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego , New York and D.C. (Bethesda, MD) actually. And, reading Who’s Your City? answered many of the questions that I have spent 20+ years trying to figure out on my own.

Cities do have distinct personalities!!!!! I can honestly say that I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere but Nashville. It is a wonderful place to raise a family and is surrounded by many great educational institutions. Chicago is a great city, but the winters are ungodly. Detroit and I mix like oil and water. But if you have to live there, I say live in Royal Oak, Birmingham or Troy.

I love LA primarily because of how laid back it is. It is hard not to be happy when you can walk along the beach. Then there is San Diego, one of the most aesthetically beautiful cities in the U.S. But it has a small town feel - shops and restaurants close early and outside of the gas lamp district, there is not much going on at night. Hillcrest is a great area (predominantly gay which coincides with the book). But I get the fee ling that outside of this area, the rest of San Diego is conservative.

I admit that I was surprised that D.C. made the list of one of the most creative cities. There are probably neighborhoods that define this, but it is so politically overwhelming that I cannot see much beyond that.

Now, saving the best for last, New York, NY - hands down one of my favorite cities. When Richard talks about creative cities having an energy and openness, that is NY. I felt more at home there than I had living anywhere else. And the only thing missing for me was natural green space, more than just Central Park. Also I realize that climate is important. Temperate climates are best for me because I enjoy being outdoors year-round. After 13 years on and off in Ann Arbor/Detroit, if I never see another snowflake, it will be too soon!

My recommendation to anyone who is trying to figure out where to live is to first read this book; then visit the city; find bloggers who hate it and see what they have to say (if what they hate is what you love - you’re in); and finally just move and rent, don’t buy! There is a reason that San Francisco and the Bay Area make the top of just about every list. It is NY on the West Coast, with green space, the ocean and mountains nearby. Reading this book helped me finally articulate exactly the right fit for me.

Could a move to the Bay Area possibly be my last?

Sent by Taisha  from Bethesda, MD

I grew up outside of Worcester, Massachusetts. While I’ve always loved Massachusetts, I felt the need to go away to school. After years of research, I narrowed my choice to Case Western in Cleveland and Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. When I made my bus trip to the near-mid West, I found I hated Cleveland (except for the Art Museum) and loved Pittsburgh. My choice was easy.

I’ve actually moved to Pittsburgh twice by choice. I wound up marrying a Pittsburgh native. We were part of the great brain-drain of the late ’70s and early ’80s that Pittsburgh experienced - my husband couldn’t get a job in Pittsburgh after he graduated from college and we wound up moving to rural Ohio. After spending 11 years in Massachusetts, we returned to Pittsburgh in 1993.

Pittsburgh had changed quite a lot between 1979 and 1993. Yeah, parts of downtown deteriorated rapidly in the late ’90s and early ’00s, but it is generally coming back now. People are actually moving into condos in downtown. There are an amazing number of small galleries, little theater troupes and small start-up companies.

As part of its brain drain 30 years ago, Pittsburgh experienced a major housing bust. However, it didn’t have the housing boom many other cities had in the ’90s and ’00s. Right now, the cost of housing is declining a little, but not nearly as much as it is in other areas. Affordable housing also makes Pittsburgh an extremely attractive city to settle in.

Pittsburgh seems amazingly underrated by many people. When I ran a conference in Pittsburgh in 1999 that attracted about 250 people from all over the country, almost everyone liked the city. I like to call Pittsburgh “the nicest city you’ve never been to.”

Sent by Laurie Mann from Pittsburgh, PA

If you are interested in (1) affordable cost of living, (2) short commute times, (3) outdoor and cultural amenities, (4) close proximitiy to higher education institutions and larger metro areas, and (5) quality health care, then Roanoke, Virginia is for you. To receive info about job opportunities, go to www.roanokeva.gov/connect.

sent by Stuart Mease from Roanoke, Virginia

I moved to Cincinnati about 2 years ago (yes, for a love….but now that’s done). I am interested in a new chapter of my life. I am young, single, and fairly outgoing. I enjoy going out to the bars, but am not much of a “clubber”. Anyone have any good ideas for a new city? I keep resorting back to home (also midwest), and I just don’t know if I am ready to move back quite yet. Cincinnati is great, if you have a significant other. There are a lot of fun things to do and cool neighborhoods to check out. It has a lot more than I ever thought it could offer, but without a “significant other”, you are an outsider. Its hard to meet people here without having a close set of friends that are Cincinnati-homegrown.

Any suggestions for new cities for young people like me?

Sent by A from Cincinnati

Chicago is a FANTASTIC place to live, been here all my life. The Lake Michigan, shopping, museums, bike paths, lush green forests, good transportation options, restaurants and bars! The suburbs are fantastic in their own rights, always something to do. The weather is hot, humid, sticky in the summer usually late June - early Sept. Fall is comfortable with a crisp wind. Winters are mild from Nov-Dec with little/ no snow fall. Extremley cold from Jan-March. The weather is always unpredictable.

Sent by s. from Chicago

I lived, loved and laughed in gorgeous, fun and hip Eugene, OR, for 20 years. Then…I met this man (music swells.) Well, he lived here in the Tri-Cities and had a great job, so I made the compromise. I moved to a place that I thought would suck my soul dry for so many, many reasons. No green, no culture of cool, no decent artisan bread bakery…OH! the list was endless for this dry, dusty, windy void of a desert. I cried for the first 6 months solid a nd just wanted to wither and die (and pretty much felt like I was going to get my wish.)

I do not remember the moment it came to me, but on one particular day, a little after my morning tears and coffee dried up, I heard myself tell myself: girlfriend, the grace that is to be found in ANY place on earth is the grace you BRING to it. I suddenly felt incredibly selfish and utterly childish. It is true…there are great matches between the personality of a city and the preferences we have for where we live. That was my Eugene experience all the way. But this little epiphany helped me to understand that if you offer your grace to the people and place you are at any moment you begin to be the instrument of change rather than sitting back and expecting it all to be laid out banquet style for the fulfillment of your desires.

I went forth, oh children, and made this place my own. I offered “me” to it, rather than standing with hands on hips reciting the mantra, “What’s in it for me??” No, it still can’t hold a candle of cool to my beloved Eugene, but it does hold my beloved….and, as I have since discovered, a vast canvas to paint my own vista upon.

May you all bring your grace to your place…

Sent by Lynn McDougal from Kennewick, WA

I live in Wilson, NC– a very small town that’s trying to act like a big city with a small town attitude. Even though we have a growing and thriving international population, the powers that be are dominated by the ‘ole boys club’: white males over the age of 40. Museums for adults do not exist in this town, the library is wonderful (in part due to folks who don’t live in Wilson), and a few international restaurants are starting to open. Wilson’s claim to fame is tobacco and its location: about 50 miles east of Raleigh and 40 miles west of Greenville.

I did not go through the local school system as a child. I went to a Math/Science High school in a large city, attended a Liberal Arts college, then grad school in Lexington, KY. I had to come back to help with an ailing mother, who is still alive. She wants to remain in Wilson–this is her hometown and her family is here. I’m also a math teacher.

I find a lot of native Wilsonian petty, unthinking, ultra conservative, racist (both the blacks and whites) and so religious (i.e. they can justify their racism, homophobia and hatred of strong women from the Bible). My tolerance level is hitting an all time low with such thinking. My small band of friends are not from Wilson (but live here, even though most are talking about leaving themselves), and when I want to go and see art, plays, clubs etc., I have to travel 50 miles to Raleigh.

So what city do you suggest?

Sent by Paully from Wilson, NC

In a nutshell, I have lived here for 4 decades since 1966 when I first set foot in Singapore after London. I wanted to run off but had to make Singapore my matrimonial home.

Like London which grew on me after one year, Singapore became more livable with the revolutionary changes taking place after gaining independence in 1965; so I am 1 year younger than Spore!

Within 10 years of inspiration (10%) and perspiration (90%), I could not have believed how Singapore without any natural resources except a hard working and educated people, could transform herself into a beautiful clean and green city with good infrastructure and a financial centre.

Now that Singapore has evolved into a first world country, our government finds it is time to inject creative energies into our city to become a mega-city.

Hence, the birth of the Esplanade , where I produced a benefit concert “L’Enfant Sauvage ” in 2004 , with great success.

Singapore to me is my ideal city, with an open mind to keep on improving to attract the talented to come and join us to sustain this amazing city, I now call home.

Sent by Ana Wang from Singapore

I grew up in Chattanooga, TN. It has a lot good going for it these days, but it’s still too conservative for my tastes. I’m sociable by nature but a minority in being a non-church-goer. My husband and I have been living the expat life for 8 solid years now (the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East and Asia). We work in international aid and development and are used to and enjoy diversity.

Eventually we will have to come back home for family reasons. Family is very important to me. I can’t stomach the idea of living in the suburbs of Atlanta, but where can we go? Is DC our only option? It’s not exactly close. If not either of these, we are likely going to have to make some career change since the work we’ve been doing seems to need an international city hub.

Sent by Kate from Amman, Jordan

My wife and I are an interracial couple with two young children. We are also teachers. We love Austin because of its coolness, tolerance, and lack of chain stores. However, it has gotten too expensive to live downtown and we hear teaching jobs are hard to come by.

I have heard that Louisville is an up and coming Austin. Is this true? or would anyone know another up and coming city that has similar qualities as Austin?

Sent by Fred from Las Vegas